Daily Slideshow: You probably already forgot about the 2001 Ford Lightning Ford F-150 Concept, but it recently resurfaced at auction.
Back from the Dead
Concept vehicles as a whole are a largely hit-or-miss proposition. When manufacturers do them right, they live on in infamy. And when they do them wrong, those vehicles often wind up in the crusher, never to be seen again. We quite honestly thought that was the fate of Ford's 2001 F-150 Lightning Rod concept until it recently resurfaced at this Barrett-Jackson's Scottsdale auction.
Tattooed Truck
The Lightning Rod concept was originally shown at the 2001 Chicago Auto Show, leaving quite the impression on show-goers at the time. Clearly not something destined to make an impact on future design, the Lightning Rod features some strange visual cues, including elements inspired by the tattoo culture of New Zealand's Maori people.
>>Join the conversation about this 2001 F-150 Lightning Concept being auctioned right here in the Ford Trucks Forum!
Tatted Up
There's a large tribal "tattoo" adorning the truck's leather-wrapped tonneau cover, for starters. Inside, you'll also notice a number of Maori tattoo patterns in the bucket seats and headliner. But perhaps the strangest location you'll find a tattoo on this pickup is in the tread of the tires. Then again, tribal tattoos were once all the rage, so we suppose Ford was just going after that trend here.
>>Join the conversation about this 2001 F-150 Lightning Concept being auctioned right here in the Ford Trucks Forum!
Best of Both Worlds
The interior of the Lightning Rod is quite interesting and still looks pretty cool even today. Lots of red leather covers most of the surfaces, but the rest are simply bare uncovered metal. The look is both old school custom and futuristic design, which actually meshes together quite well in this case.
>>Join the conversation about this 2001 F-150 Lightning Concept being auctioned right here in the Ford Trucks Forum!
Smooth Rider
Outside of the tattoos, the exterior of the Lightning Rod has held up pretty well to the test of time, too. Ford started with a regular F-150, then chopped the roof one inch, shortened the front and rear overhangs, and integrated the bumpers for a flush, street-rod look.
>>Join the conversation about this 2001 F-150 Lightning Concept being auctioned right here in the Ford Trucks Forum!
Fat Five Spokes
The entire truck was then dropped to the ground, allowing it to hug a set of custom 20" five-spoke wheels. The wheel design actually mimics that of the Bullitt Mustang of the time, albeit with much wider spokes.
>>Join the conversation about this 2001 F-150 Lightning Concept being auctioned right here in the Ford Trucks Forum!
Cool Customer
Capping off this unique design are a set of equally unique headlights. Both feature what appear to be horizontal neon tubes, which gives this F-150 a cool look, whether it be in the daylight or at night.
>>Join the conversation about this 2001 F-150 Lightning Concept being auctioned right here in the Ford Trucks Forum!
Lightning Powered
Since it's named after the regular production Lightning, it only makes sense that this concept would pack the very same engine - a supercharged 5.4-liter V8 producing 380 hp and 450 lb-ft of torque, which is backed up by a 4-speed automatic transmission.
>>Join the conversation about this 2001 F-150 Lightning Concept being auctioned right here in the Ford Trucks Forum!
Show Only
As cool as it looks and as fun as it probably is to drive, this Cherry Red Metallic custom won't be seeing public roads any time soon, however. Like most concepts, the Lightning Rod isn't DOT or EPA certified, which means you can't register it here in the states.
>>Join the conversation about this 2001 F-150 Lightning Concept being auctioned right here in the Ford Trucks Forum!
Survivor
Which is terrible news, obviously. But on the bright side, this cool piece of Ford concept history looks no worse for wear. And we're certainly happy to see that it's survived the crusher all these years - cheesy tattoos and all!
>>Join the conversation about this 2001 F-150 Lightning Concept being auctioned right here in the Ford Trucks Forum!
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